Terry’s just a naughty boy, says Life Of Brian’s Palin

THEy were stars of Monty Python, but Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin appear to be growing apart.

Gilliam has delivered a stinging verdict on their respective contributions to Handmade Films — the production company established by ex-Beatle George Harrison to make the Pythons’ irreverent masterpiece, Life Of Brian.

Speaking in a new documentary about Handmade’s early rise, Gilliam said: ‘There was no way to stop us. We had Life Of Brian, a success, and Time Bandits, a bigger success. What Handmade was doing was showing people there were other ways to make films and success — until Mike [ Palin] started making films.’

Palin hits back. ‘I find that incredibly naughty of him to say that. The rest of the films I made were all good in their own right,’ says Palin, who starred in The Missionary, whose screenplay he wrote, and A Private Function, both of which were produced by Handmade.

‘If I was that bad I should have been given the boot.’